1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to containers and more particularly to a slide fastener locking system for guarding against unauthorized access by children.
2. Antecedents of the Invention
Flexible bags or pouches having slide closures, fasteners or zippers, such as those sold under the registered trademark ZIPLOK® have been employed by consumers who would fill and refill the bags. At locations where children were present, it was not advisable to store potentially hazardous items, such as medications, in flexible bags because young children could easily open the slide fasteners and access the contents. A need has been perceived for flexible bags with child-proof slide fasteners.
Child-proof closures for medicines have been employed and pharmacies generally dispense medications in bottles with child-proof caps.
One attempt at providing a flexible bag a with child-proof slide fastener was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,670,052 wherein a slider was not capable of separating an interlocked zipper track unless a plow on the top surface of the slider was depressed downwardly. While some degree of difficulty was presented, the slide fastener was susceptible to being opened with one hand with relative ease. One need only depress the plow with one's index finger, grip the slider between one's middle finger and thumb and then pull the slider.
A further attempt has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,115 wherein a releasable clamp which included a pair of arms was fixed to a flexible bag at the end of a slide fastener track. The arms engaged a metal slider while an aperture of a slider pull tab was engaged over a boss formed in the clamp. Opening the slide fastener required the use of a separate tool or implement, such as, coin to disengage the pull tab from the boss and then required squeezing the arms to release the slider.
While a degree of dexterity required for opening the slide fastener, it should be appreciated that accessing the contents of the bag required the use of a tool or implement, which might not be readily available and thus, an adult attempting to access the bag contents could be frustrated and precluded.